More work, tighter budget

Franklin County weighs options as 3 clerks plan to leave

July 6, 2013

MALONE - Three upcoming county job vacancies were discussed at a recent Franklin County board meeting, in light of tighter budgets and a heavier workload.

Two clerks in the county clerk's office and one in the Department of Motor Vehicles are expected to leave within the year. The board would not reveal who would leave or why.

"I'm at the point now where I need some guidance," Deputy County Clerk Kip Cassavaw told the board Wednesday. "Would you like me to fill it with another body, or do we want to entertain some of these ideas with a new position?"

Cassavaw said regulations regarding mortgages, motor vehicle laws and gun permits are adding to the workload. He suggested creating two new, upgraded positions to take the place of the three being vacated - a principal index clerk and a principal motor vehicle clerk.

"The net loss would be one spot we'd be getting rid of," Cassavaw said. "You're looking at the wages, benefits, retirement, all of that would be gone."

Legislator Paul Maroun, R-Tupper Lake, said he wanted to see how the upgrades would affect the budget before moving forward.

"Here's what I'd like to see: Finish your upgrade analysis, and give us a budget projection," Maroun said. "Let's see what it does for the rest of this year, and then what it's going to be for next year, and then we'll see where we stand."

Cassavaw stressed that people are leaving his office and that mandates in the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act, particularly the requirement of all handgun owners to recertify their license every five years, will mean he needs employees who are qualified to handle the changes.

"I'll be very honest; it's going to be a hard few years in the clerk's office for pistols," Cassavaw said. "What the state is telling us now is they're going to start recertifications this fall for the ones that were issued in 2008 and the ones prior to that. That means our employees are all doing the same things, but now they need more knowledge."